29th June 2018, 16:20

Marshall: Barrow will be pumped up

Halifax RLFC head coach Richard Marshall says that he expects a tough match when his side make the trip to Barrow Raiders in the Betfred Championship on Sunday.

Barrow have had some off-field issues and struggled for players in recent weeks, but Marshall believes that they will be dangerous opposition on home turf.

“They’ve obviously had a couple of injuries and not been able to field a full-strength team, but I think that won’t be the case this week and they’ll be really up for it,” he said.

“They’re difficult to play at home and we’ve got full respect for that group, and they’ll be pumped up this week coming back home, and firing on all cylinders, and that’s how we want it.

"We want a tough game, we want to come through the other side and we don’t want anything to be given to us at this stage of this season.

"You’ve got to earn it and let’s hope that we can do that. But it’ll be difficult, and we’ll be putting our best team out again this week.”

Fax recorded their biggest points tally of the season last week when they beat Batley Bulldogs 50-12, but Marshall still believes that there are improvements to be made.

“They’re usually really close, tight games [against Batley], but they’ve got some injuries so we’re not going to get carried away and fall in love with ourselves.

“We still need to work hard for each other, and I think we conceded a few soft tries as well so we still need to fix that up.

“There’s lots of improvement within the group and the team. There always is, and we’re coming up to an important part of the season so this is where you find out about your squad and the depth and the talent.

“The confidence is good and it’s there for all to see, our supporters are onside and things are going well, but we’re not going to get carried away just yet.”